It wasn’t Max.
“Well, well. The hardware girl, all alone in the woods.” Leo appeared around the bend, his tie loosened and his jacket gone. He had a glass of something amber in his hand and that particular glassy look that said it wasn’t his first. “Fancy meeting you here, Frankie.”
My stomach dropped. “Leo. Shouldn’t you be getting ready for your rehearsal dinner?”
“I’ve got time.” He moved closer, and I caught the sharp scent of bourbon. Lots of bourbon. “Besides, I’ve been wanting to talk to you. Without my cousin breathing down my neck.”
I took a step back. “There’s nothing to talk about.”
“Oh, I think there is.” His gaze traveled over me slowly. While it had the same dismissive look as before, there was something else there. Something that made me take another step back. “See, I’ve been watching you. Watching how you look at Max. Like you can’t believe your luck.”
“Leo—”
“And I get it. I do.” He took another step forward. “Small-town girl, works at a hardware store, suddenly gets a ticket to the big leagues. Must feel like winning the lottery.”
Angry heat flooded my face. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“I know you’re out of your league, sweetheart.” He said it almost kindly, which somehow made it worse. “Max is justscratching an itch. You had to know that, right? Guys like him, like us, don’t end up with girls like you.”
“Like you? You’re nothing like Max, despite desperately wanting to be.”
He continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “We have our fun, sure, but when it’s time to get serious?” He gestured vaguely back toward the lodge. “We pick women who fit.”
“Like Tiffany?”
“Exactly like Tiffany.” He smiled, taking another drink. “Beautiful, educated, knows how to handle herself in society. Not someone who...” His gaze dropped to my hips, my thighs. “Someone who looks like she spends her days hauling lumber.”
My hands clenched into fists. “You’re drunk.”
“I’m honest.” He moved closer still, backing me up against a tree. “And honestly? I think you know I’m right. Max is going to get bored. Probably already is. So, here’s what I’m thinking—”
He reached out, trailing his fingers over my arm. I jerked back. “Don’t touch me.”
“Come on, Frankie. Don’t be like that.” His voice took on a wheedling tone that made my skin crawl. “I’m trying to do you a favor here. When Max dumps you—and he will—you’re going to need a friend. Someone who appreciates...” His gaze raked over me again. “A woman with your particular assets.”
“Get away from me.”
“Why? Because I’m telling you the truth?” He laughed, the sound ugly. “You think Max Wilder is going to keep you around? You think this is real? You’re a rebound, sweetheart. A warm body to make Tiffany jealous. And between you and me—” He leaned in, his bourbon breath hot on my face. “I’d be happy to keep you warm when he’s done with you. God knows you’ve got the body for it.”
That was it. I drew my arm back, ready to introduce Leo’s face to my fist, hardware-store-girl style.
But I didn’t get the chance.
“Get your hands off her.”
The voice came from behind Leo, low and deadly. I’d never heard Max sound like that before. Barely contained violence wrapped around his words.
Leo spun around, stumbling slightly. “Max. We were just—”
“I know exactly what you were doing.” Max moved into view, and I sucked in a breath. He looked like murder. His hands were curled into fists at his sides, and his eyes were pure fury. “You’ve got three seconds to step away from her.”
“Easy there, Max, calm down. We were just talking.” Leo tried for casual and missed by a mile, but he didn’t back up. “I was just being friendly with your little—”
Max’s fist connected with Leo’s jaw before he could finish the sentence.
The crack echoed through the trees like a gunshot. Leo went down hard, his glass flying from his hand to shatter on a rock. He landed on his ass in the dirt, blood already trickling from his split lip.
“What the hell,” Leo sputtered, his hand flying to his mouth. “You actually hit me.”
